History
Established in April 1977 the Shreyas Folk Museum is a centre for viewing the arts and crafts, as well as the culture of Gujarat. Shreyas Folk Museum is located on the lush and picturesque Shreyas Tekra hill of Ambavadi near Sabarmati. The museum was founded as a tribute to the local artisans who to this very day preserve the culture of the state through their arts, crafts and performing arts.
Some of the art forms displayed in the Shreyas Folk Museum are collected from various communities such as the Kathi, Rabari, Ahir, Mer, Charan, Bharvad, Kanbi, Koli, Bhansali, Rajput, Brahmin, Vania, Meghaval, Khoja Bohra, Meman, Miana and several others. The museum houses colourful works of embroidery, wood carving, metal work, bead work and utensils, leather work, costumes, paintings and animal decorations, and objects of household usage. Panels containing information about the displayed artefact help the visitor appreciate the real value of the object.
The museum is divided into three sections. The Shreyas Kalpana Mangaldas Balayatan Museum is the museum for toys, crafts and performing arts. Weapons, toys, mask etc from over 54 states and countries are displayed here. Kathani is a gallery of the Fairs and Festivals held at Shreyas Folk Museum, which include puppet ad stage shows, shadow plays, folk and classical performances of art and craft. Shreyas Sangeeta Vadyakhand contains a collection of more than 125 string, bow, percussion and wind musical instruments, used in India.
Out of the many museums in Gujarat, Shreyas Folk Museum holds its own significance due to the educational nature of the museum, wherein the students of the Shreyas foundation actually learn history by visiting the museum and not just from books.
|